Page 20 - Sultry

That Sultry Summer Night
It was one of those summer afternoons, where the sweat sticks to you, hot and heavy. One of those afternoons, where even the mosquitoes are too dazed to fly due to the sweltering heat. The heat - so oppressive, so stifling. Choking like the passion a lover induces. Such was that afternoon.
No one cared that the ladies were all scantily clad in sheer cotton dresses that hung high. No one cared, because it was so hot.
Ms Williams said it was “sultry”.
She sat in her wheelchair close to the lake and watched the scene. It was the annual Williams’ Family Barbecue-in-the-Park and everyone was there. The family seemed to get larger each year and Ms Williams, my great-grandmother, kept a close eye over it all. At 92, she was still as sharp as a switchblade and had an uncanny memory. So it didn’t come as a surprise when she asked, “Who is that?”
I spun around and that is when I saw her. Our eyes locked.
A few feet away stood a young woman, about my age with my cousin, Bess.
She was one very beautiful woman.
“I don’t know but I’ll find out”, I said as I walked off.
“Be a gentleman. Maybe she is the one. High time you settled down”, yelled Ms Williams as I walked away.
All the women in the family thought I shouldn’t be a bachelor at 35.
As I walked towards the beautiful stranger, she kept starring in my direction.
All of a sudden, my dad appeared from nowhere.
“Mikel, you need to pick up some more charcoal”, he ordered.
He had that desperate the-barbecue-is-driving-me-nuts look so I grabbed my car keys, sighed and went off to get some more charcoal. As I walked towards my car, I looked towards where the stranger once stood but she was gone.
I kept looking for her when I got back but could not find her. I couldn’t find cousin Bess either. With the sun slowly setting, I finally gave up and decided to enjoy the evening. Yet, I couldn’t get past the feeling that someone was watching me the whole time.
These family gatherings always reminded me of mum. I missed her so much. She would be directing this barbecue like a conductor at Carnegie Hall. When things calmed down, she would always walk over to the maple tree that stood near the boathouse, sit on the grass and lean her back against it. I would walk over and keep her company.
I walked over to the tree and sat down on the grass. I leaned my back against it and closed my eyes, pictures of her swimming through my mind.
I felt a presence and opened my eyes.
Before me stood the beautiful stranger I had been searching for all evening. The gorgeous woman I saw earlier with my cousin, Bess.
She was stunning. She was quite stunning.
“This is a cool spot. Care if I join you?”, she asked. “Sure”, I answered.
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